1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a sealing strip used in the construction of insulating, double pane structures. More particularly, the invention relates to a sealing strip composition comprised of an adhesion promoter compound of at least two components, a polymeric base material(s), a cross linking agent(s), fillers, molecular sieves, plasticizers and tackifier.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various sealing structures have been developed for use in the fabrication of insulating glass structures. These sealing structures are generally positioned between adjacent panes and act to maintain the panes in a spaced relationship. The sealing structure must also prevent the passage of undesirable materials within the space defined between the adjacent panels. The passage of, for example, water vapor, leads to the formation of undesirable condensation between the panes. Once such condensation has made its way within the space between the panes, the double pane becomes unuseable.
With this in mind, a sealing structure must be optimized to maintain the spacing between the panes, adhere to the surface of the panes so as to create a barrier to the passage of vapor between the sealing structure and the pane, and be substantially impermeable to vapor through the sealing structure itself. A variety of sealing structures are known to exist, but each is known to possess shortcomings requiring modification of the base sealing material through the inclusion of various structural additives such as spacers and vapor barriers.
For example, and with reference to U.S. Pat. No. 5,855,972 to Konrad H. Kaeding, a sealant strip for use in the fabrication of insulating glass is disclosed. In the '972 patent, Kaeding provides examples of using a deformable sealant strip to manufacture insulating glass for use in window systems. Although he makes some strides in overcoming previous deficiencies in analogous systems, he fails to completely resolve the issues of simplicity, resistance to compression, good adhesion and ease of manufacture. He gives many examples of “grafting polymers onto the backbone of the Exxon Exxpro polymers”, but he does not obtain the desired product without further manipulation. However, Kaeding was not able to resolve all issues and obtain the optimum synergy.
Kaeding claims to provide excellent adhesion, but offers no data. He claims to have a system that is resistant to compression, but uses “staples” within the sealant strip to maintain the desired dimensions and to prevent compression. In addition, he discusses the use of plastic and/or metal vapor barriers to prevent the ingress of water and other external materials into the cavity of the insulating glass unit. He also uses several complex “curing” systems.
All these issues are overcome in accordance with the present invention by the simple use of polymers and a dual curing/adhesion promoting system. The present invention overcomes these deficiencies with a simplified cross-linking system to prevent compression which occurs over a period of time and a grafting of adhesion promoters, preferably of the silane type, onto the backbone of the Exxon polymers.
Also, in one embodiment of the present invention the present sealing system takes advantage of using a liquid adhesion promoter, such as a silane compound, and a liquid cross-linking agent, both of which facilitate the ease of incorporating these materials into the elastomer matrix to provide a far more homogeneous product.